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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Back in the day I used to do a link-up called “Throwback Travel Thursday” (now that’s a throwback). While I don’t know if I have the discipline to hold myself to this on
a weekly basis, I have been itching to write a travel post. After all, I originally started this blog as a way to document my various adventures. But lately I’ve been getting distracted with the future of our country and living my healthier lifestyle – priorities people.You know those vacations that you take to simply relax and sip a piña colada in a cabana? Well, Costa Rica isn’t that. Earlier this year, my roommate and I decided to go on a five-day
trip to this Central American country not really knowing what to expect. I honestly can’t even remember why we chose this destination. It probably had something to do with the fact that Jet Blue has really cheap flights. But through this spontaneous adventure, we learned a lot. Such as don’t leave cash out in your hotel because it will be stolen & bug spray is a must. But for normal people who already know this information I wanted to share some of the best activities Costa Rica has to offer.Go on an Adventure // Costa Rica has amazing activities for outdoor enthusiasts. And even if you’re not a huge fan of Mother Nature, it’s a complete disservice to the country if you don’t actually go out and explore. You can do zip lining, bird watching, hot springs, suspension
bridges and more. We decided to do a half-day tour of white water rafting when we were staying by the Arenal Volcano and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It’s hard to explain the feeling you get as your rafting through the rainforest, it’s sprinkling rain and you look up and see monkeys and sloths in the greenery above you. I promise
you won't regret stepping outside your comfort zone.Trek Through the Rainforest // If you’re in Costa Rica there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t actually go into the rainforest – it’s all around you! On one of the days we hired a tour guide and he took us on a 3-4 hour hike through the rainforest. I felt like I never knew what we were going to see. One minute it was a snake (literally almost stepped on it), next was the largest tree I’ve ever seen in my life with bats. And of course, you can’t forget the howling monkeys. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that everyone should do. Hold a Baby Sloth // Okay, this was one of the things that I truly regret not doing. The cards were not in our favor and so when we wanted to go the sanctuary and hold the baby sloths it was closed. But our driver was so nice when we mentioned how much we wanted to see a sloth he made a stop to take us to the zoo. Granted, it wasn’t the same it was still extremely thoughtful. So while I didn’t get to hold a baby sloth, I hope you do if you get the chance to go to Costa Rica and send me pictures!Eat Like a Local // Is this considered an activity? Who knows. But regardless I highly recommend you skip the hotel restaurant and go into the city and find a hole in the wall with a ton of people. Our tour guide took us around Alajuela where he brought us to one of his favorite places. The only thing I can say was that it was SO much better then the food we had been eating at our ridiculously expensive (but worth it) hotel.I think what I've been trying to get across is go to Costa Rica. And feel free to contact me if you need any more recommendations or help planning! Follow along { Facebook | Instagram | Twitter }

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Wow. All I can say was this past week has been one of the roughest ones in a while. I'm not always the best at articulating my thoughts, so I'm going to try and process what happened through writing. On Tuesday night, I truly believed that I was going to bear witness to a monumental time in history where our country finally elects our first female President. And I was proud for Hillary Rodham Clinton, who many considered to be the voice of tolerance, to bear that honor. Today, I fear I will remember this day for years to come for another reason entirely.Looking back I do think I was naive to think that Trump would never win this election. I truly believed that the majority of American citizens* would see what this man represented - bigotry, misogyny, white nationalism, fascism, homophobia - and would never align themselves with this, let alone choose to have this man run our country. I guess I should be lucky that I'm white (although I do have the woman thing against me) but I care deeply for people and when I see social injustices of our country I want to stand up and fight back. I have never seen an election that has fostered such fear among the American people. I received a text from one of my best friends, a 3rd-grade teacher at a school largely populated by minorities where her students were crying because they thought they were going to be deported. I have seen friends on my Facebook feed fear their LGBT rights, which they've fought so hard to obtain, are going to be taken away. And I have seen many of my African-American friends fear for their lives as racial tensions continue to grow. It continues to baffle me that the people who voted for Trump, including members of my own family, have ignored this culture of fear that Trump has allowed, and even capitalized on. I also don't think we can ignore the fact that the majority of those who voted for Trump are non-college-educated, white men. But here we stand with a man who has been compared to Hitler as our President.It saddens me that Hillary will never sit in the Oval Office when she was unquestionably the most qualified candidate for the job. Watching her concession speech was all the more heartbreaking as she gracefully and eloquently told the American people to give Trump a chance, something I do not believe Trump would have ever reciprocated. Now I don't wish for Trump to fail as that would just hurt this country and its people. But I think it would be untrue to myself and my beliefs to "move on" as I've been told. I will continue to speak up against hatred and fight for human rights and until Trump either becomes the person our country deserves or removes himself from office, I will not be silent. As Hillary once stated, "I have been called many things by many people. Quitter is not one of them".*Let it be known Hillary did win the popular vote

Friday, November 4, 2016

I can't believe it's already November. Where is the time going? In just a few short weeks I'll be in DC celebrating Thanksgiving with my brother and his fiance, then I'm visiting a friend in Philadelphia for a quick weekend trip and next I'll be off to Spain for Christmas! But before I get caught up in all this traveling, I wanted to set some time aside to talk about my goals for the month. Having written goals is a great way to look back and see where you netted out each month. I try to set attainable goals, rather than the one's that I'm probably not going to achieve such as marrying George Clooney (dammit Amal, I was so close!). So before we jump into December, which I'm sure will come just as quick, here are some things I'll be looking to achieve this November.BLOG GOALSBuild Social Following // Since I've started blogging again I've tried to focus on building my social platforms. My main goal these past few months has been Instagram. I've joined pods and started using a lot more hashtags to engage with new readers. One thing I've noticed that I'm not a huge fan of is when people follow you & then unfollow you within 24 hours if you don't follow them back. Whenever I follow people it's because I love their content they're producing, not because I simply want the follow back. I would also love to break the 500 likes on my Facebook page this month. I'm only 55 likes away so I would really appreciate it if you wanted to connect with me on Facebook! Blog Twice a Week // I'm pretty proud of myself for blogging 1-2 times a week. I think it's important to be consistent so when readers come to my page it's not the same post they just read. Even when I've had writer's block I look for ways to publish content. I recently refreshed an older post on ways you know you're a blogger when I was feeling stumped. It's important to me to continue to write because it's a great outlet to get that creativity flowing and I truly love it.Collaborate // When I first started blogging a little over 2 years ago one of my favorite parts was collaborating with other bloggers. Unfortunately, since I've been so busy with working & simply writing and scheduling content, I've been slacking on actually connecting with others. So for November I would love to collaborate with another blogger on a post or project. Feel free to contact me if you have any ideas!PERSONAL GOALSFamily Time // One of the things that I constantly berate myself for is not spending enough time with my extended family. I see my parents & even my brother who lives in another state pretty frequently but I never seem to find the time to connect with other family members. So for this month I'm going to try to better about calling them at least bi-weekly to show that they're important to me. Workout Once a Week // You might think going to the gym once a week is such a minuscule goal, but for me, it's an undertaking. Ever since I started on this journey of living a healthier lifestyle I've focused more efforts on my eating then physical activity. Well, for November I'm hoping this changes. I have a co-worker who's also trying to get back into the swing of things so we've tasked ourselves with working out at least once a week. Wish me luck - I'll need it!2017 Travel // Now that it's almost the end of the year I really need to make some moves on my 2017 travel plans. I pretty much have all the trips planned in my head but I need to book my flight for the Dominican Republic in February and research a girls trip to Las Vegas and Peru. As soon as I have one trip planned out I'm always looking for the next adventure!Now let's hear from YOU! Share in the comments below some of your goals for November! Follow along { Facebook | Instagram | Twitter }

Monday, October 31, 2016

I'm a little shocked that I'm even writing this but I recently decided to start living a healthier lifestyle. This revelation hit me a little over a week ago when I went to the doctor and learned I'd gained a few pounds that I did not appreciate. I knew I couldn't keep Rory Gilmore-ing it and eating whatever I wanted without gaining weight but I just hoped (and prayed) that it wouldn't happen until I was much older. Instead of completely changing my lifestyle of fast food and no worries I decided to take baby steps. I've noticed that when I've tried to become a version of myself that loves working out and eating kale, I end up giving up pretty quickly. But when you make little changes that can make an impact on your health, it's a lot easier to stay on track. Drink Water // Everyone agrees that drinking water does wonders for your health. Just to name a few of the benefits water helps your brain health, energy levels and can assist with weight loss. I typically eat out almost every day and I used to always order a soda with my meal. But since I've started with health journey I order water - it's better for you and I get to save money! Then, when I'm home I drink a LaCroix because the carbonation reminds me of a soda and it's 100% natural. Plus, who couldn't love these colorful cans?Find a Workout Buddy // I admit it - I don't enjoy working out. I've just accepted the fact that I'm never going to go to a spin class and think, "Man, I've got to do this again!" So while I've accepted this truth, I've also learned that just because I don't enjoy it doesn't mean I should completely abandon fitness. I rely on my friends, who are much more motivated than I, to drag me along and make it more enjoyable. Find your workout buddy and you can each hold yourselves accountable to going to the gym and finding a form of exercise that you both enjoy or in my case, tolerate. Healthy Snacks // Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or cookie (my go-to) I've been going to the produce section at my grocery store and purchasing one of those snack packs of celery, carrots and grapes. I'm learning that the key is simply finding a few fruits and vegetables that you like and going from there. I currently love apples, asparagus and pineapple - all of which make for a great midafternoon snack. Cheat Days // While I do think it's important to stay consistent with your healthy meals I don't think I can ever give up on Big Macs. I've been trying to stick to one, sometimes two, cheat days in a week where I can eat those meals that are definitely not god for you that I love. After all, what kind of life would it be if you couldn't indulge in a Pizza Hut pan crust pizza every now and then?What are some ways you stay healthy? I would love to hear from you and gather your tips! Follow along { Facebook | Instagram | Twitter }

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

I started to have writer's block when I went to craft a post so I decided to take a page from Coffee with Summer’s book and refresh one of my older posts. I think as bloggers it’s interesting how similar we all are. While we might write about different topics, we face the same struggles when trying to grow our blog and we all have those days where we feel like giving up. But regardless of all the struggles we face it's nice to know you have a tribe of kick-ass bloggers cheering you on. So for today, let's celebrate those similarities. I give you:You Know You're a Blogger When...Words like sponsoring, link-up and blog swaps become of your everyday vocabulary.Your personal mantra is "Do it for the blog."You wake up in the middle of the night with a brilliant blog post that you have to write down – even though it’s 4am.You're pretty much a graphic designer because you can make your own “pinnable” images with Canva.You're constantly reading blog posts on how to drive more traffic to your site and get more followers. (Psst check out Venus Trapped in Mars if you haven’t yet!)When you're going out with your friends you always suggest doing something different just so you can write about in your blog. Skydiving, anyone?You have to constantly explain to family members how you can actually make money off of blogging – to the point where you can one day make it your full-time job!Your weekends and weeknights are usually spent in your room. Writing. With a glass of wine.You get so excited when you see you have a new comment or person following your blog. On another note, you should definitely follow me on BlogLovin' here ;)You suddenly become a master at photo editing. Your picture too dark? Not a problem. Because we have PicMonkey.

The bloggers you meet online become some of your good friends – even if you’ve never met them in real life. While alcoholics have AA, bloggers have each other.At the end of the day you don’t blog for money rather you just want to share a story with others and hope that it makes a difference, small or large, in someone’s life.YOUR turn! Share in the comments below some ways you know you're a blogger! Follow along! { Facebook | Twitter | Instagram }